In the Quiet of the Storm
by botany957
Summary: As the Second Wizarding War begins, it brings together those who would otherwise never meet. Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks are two of those people. This is their beginning. Cannon-compliant. Reviews welcome.


Remus Lupin had not planned on being kissed today. Nor, in fact, had he been planning on being kissed anytime in the foreseeable future. Rather, he had fancied a simple tankard of ale at the Leaky Cauldron, sitting in the corner lost in thought. He was early to meet Daleus Diggle about the return of the Order of Phoenix, and so just sat staring at his ale, thinking of how to verbalize the message he was given to deliver. In the past year, one of his best friends had escaped jail, was on the run, had been in the tropics, and was now on his way back to England. Meanwhile, he had lost his dream job, unable to find any meaningful work in the Wizarding World, and had been struggled to keep a job in the Muggle world with his frequent absences, and unable to maintain true relationships with Muggles due to his large secret from them.

And now Voldemort was back. The Dark Lord had dragged Harry to the brink of death, and it was all because of Peter. He wished that he had ignored Harry's "My father wouldn't have wanted his best friends to become killers," truthful plea because now Cedric Diggory was dead. And more would come. Many more people would be dead sooner than Remus wanted to ponder.

As the thoughts swirled around in his mind, a young woman suddenly appeared in front of him with a desperate look in her face, sliding into the seat next to him. "Wotcher, mate. D'ya mind if I sit here? Trying to avoid someone."

Startled, Remus tried to keep his face neutral. "Are you in some sort of trouble, Miss…?"

"Oi, Tonks!"

A pained look crossed the woman's face- Tonks, he supposed- as she her the cry behind her. An overexcited wizard about her age seemed to brighten and wave in her direction. "Tonks!" Such enthusiasm distracted Remus from noticing that the woman had gotten noticeably closer to him, and in fact, was invading his personal space. "Apologizes for this, mate," she breathed into ear, and before Remus could comprehend what was happening, a pair of lips were crashing on to his, and fingers wandered through this hair.

Shock kept him from responding right away, but the crashing soon gave away to a softer sort of nudging that he obliged to without thinking. This was not the sort of thing that happened to Remus John Lupin, but now that it was, he couldn't complain. Reaching out to touch her while they kissed, he found strong, capable biceps, and a lithe waist.

"OI, Tonks!" He felt the vibrations, as they got jarred by an intruder. His partner pulled away to his dismay, and said brightly to the other wizard, "Hullo, Savage. Fancy seeing you here."

"I called your name, half a dozen times, Tonks." The wizard seemed bemused. "Is this your…er-"

Coming to Tonks' rescue, "Remus" Remus said, extending his hand. "It's a pleasure."

"Yes, well, I shall see you tomorrow at work, shall I, Tonks?" Savage asked haltingly.

"S'pose so. Bye!" The young witch said cheerily.

With Savage safely retreating from the bar, the mysterious woman turned around and faced him. "You're a lifesaver!" She exclaimed. "He hasn't gotten the hint, and I've been trying to avoid him for ages."

Remus found his voice, trying to keep it mild and even. "Whenever I can help a lady in distress."

"Please, have another a drink on me. I got to dash, but I am ever so grateful." She stumbled off the barstool, and Remus reached out and steadied her.

"I'm so klutzy, you'd think I had been drinking, but actually this is just me. Tom!" Waving the barkeep over, "give Remus whatever he wants, on my tab."

"You may regret that." Remus smiled at her. "I could be an alcoholic."

"Nah, I recognize you if you were here all the time." She winked. "See you around."

"Yes, well, nice meeting you." What did you say to a woman who randomly selected you out of a crowd to make out with? Remus wondered.

"Oh, and Remus? You are a great snog." And with that, the purple hair witch disappeared out of the bar.

It took Remus another Firewhiskey to process what just happened, and one after that to concede that he would probably never see that woman again. And a third to be fine with that. He didn't realize that he would see her again within the week.


End file.
